Apple is once again in hot water with the European Commission (EC). The agency has called on Apple to stop geo-blocking practices in the App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, the iTunes Store and in the Books and Podcasts apps. The EC, together with the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network of national consumer authorities in the EU, has asked Apple to bring its practices into line with the EU’s anti-geo-blocking rules.
The CPC Network discovered that Apple Media Services (an umbrella term that refers to all of the Apple services mentioned above) has a different user interface for different countries in the EU and EEA. In the app versions of these services, consumers only access the interface created for the country where they registered their Apple account and “face significant challenges when trying to change this,” which is not allowed under EU anti-geo legislation. blocking rules.
Additionally, when purchasing through Apple Media Services, consumers can only use cards issued in the country where they registered their Apple account, and finally, consumers are not allowed to download the apps offered in other countries. The EC and CPC Network emphasize that consumers should be able to “download apps offered in other EU/EEA countries when traveling to or temporarily staying in that country”.
The geo-blocking rules prohibit unjustified discrimination between EU customers based on their nationality, place of residence or place of establishment when they want to buy goods and services from traders based in another EU country. The investigation was led by the Belgian Directorate-General for Economic Inspection, the German Federal Network Agency and the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, under the coordination of the EC.
Apple now has one month to respond to these findings and propose commitments on how it will address the identified geo-blocking practices. If Apple fails to address these concerns, state consumer protection authorities may take enforcement action to ensure compliance.